


How Could She Say This Without Sounding Vain?

by Our_Hearts_Are_Compatible



Series: That Bitch is on Crack or Something (Until Dawn One-Shots) [2]
Category: Until Dawn (Video Game)
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Happy ending though!, Holiday Fic Exchange, I honestly had such a hard time deciding between mike/jess and em/jess, I hope you don’t mind a used a prompt I had lying around, I really hope you enjoy it, Light Angst, Much love for the person who's name I drew!, Self Confidence Issues, Self-Esteem Issues, Wow, another ship or two is mentioned, be safe lovelies, but I did it!, everyone else is mentioned - Freeform, it was just to use the same phrase as the first and last sentence in the story, just as a warning for anyone who is potentially triggered by that
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-23
Updated: 2017-12-23
Packaged: 2019-02-18 22:52:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,131
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13110180
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Our_Hearts_Are_Compatible/pseuds/Our_Hearts_Are_Compatible
Summary: Before the group’s first holiday party since the mountain: since Josh, Jessica has some self doubts. Mike is there to pick her back up, as usual.(For the Until Dawn Secret Santa on Tumblr!)





	How Could She Say This Without Sounding Vain?

Ah, the holiday season.  Possibly Jessica’s favorite time of the year.  She could be with her favorite people: Mike, Sam, Chris, Matt, Ashley, and surprisingly, Emily.  After what had happened on the mountain, they’d become closer than Jess could ever remember.  The rift in their relationship completely mended by their near death experiences.  They really were the best of friends again.  She couldn’t say the rest of them were quite so fortunate.  Sam and Chris had lost so much in that one night.  Jess was grateful she still had Mike.  Still had Emily.  Her and Josh had been pretty close but, no one was as close to him as Chris, except for maybe Sam.  

 

Jess knew they’d been _seeing_ each other, at least until Josh had become distant right before the trip.  It was heartbreaking, seeing Sam after that night; the distant look in her eyes...it had said everything.  Josh was gone.  

 

Later, when Mike explained everything that Josh had done, she couldn’t believe it.  He promised that the only thing Josh hurt was himself.  That didn’t make Jessica feel any better.  She wanted to go back in time still, she wanted to comfort Hannah, not play that ridiculous prank on her.  Sometimes, Jessica wished it was her that was dead: not Hannah and Beth.

 

“Babe?  You in there?”  Mike’s voice startled Jess out of her thoughts.  “Y-yeah, I’m in here.  Just getting ready for the party.”  She tried to speak so her voice didn’t tremble.  “Okay hun.  Be out here if you need me.”  Jess responded with a small sounding ‘gotcha’ and picked up the dress she’d chosen for the party.  

 

It wasn’t flashy, it wasn’t super short, it was a floor length, long-sleeved, green knit dress.  Not usually her style, but since everything that happened on the mountain, Jess wasn’t one for ‘showy’ anything.  Too many scars.  Too many bad memories.  She slid the dress on slowly, running her hands over the front of it when it was on.  She looked herself over in the mirror.  She certainly didn’t look her best, but it was good enough for her friends.  

 

She opened the bathroom door to see Mike waiting for her in his ridiculous outfit, which was what Jess imagined it would look like if an ugly holiday sweater -the kind with the bells all of them and the gross patterns- threw up on a suit.  She let out a giggle and let one of her smiles play on her lips.  “Mike, you’re a dork.  Anyone ever tell you that?”  He bowed and reached out to grab her hand.  “I can’t say you’re the first, but…”.

 

“But?”  He shook his head.  “But...you’re the cutest?”  Jess let out a sigh and rolled her eyes.  “Right.  Nice save, mister.”  He gave Jess one of his award winning smiles.  “I do try from time to time.”  Mike looked up to the clock on their bedroom wall then checked his phone with his free hand.  “We should go.  You ready?”  

 

With that she looked over to the vanity mirror and saw herself.  When she saw the scars littering her face, she suddenly wasn’t sure anymore.  Was it the lighting?  The angle?  Was it the fact that Mike looked so much better than her?  So much more... _normal_ ?  She shrugged.  “Ready as I’ll ever be, I guess…”  Why did she have to make everything so difficult all the goddamn time?  Mike just wanted to have fun and she did too, she _really_ did but now it just felt silly.  She felt Mike grab her hand tighter.  “What’s gotcha caught up in your thoughts?”  She shrugged again, but let out a distressed sigh to accompany it that time.  

 

“It’s the…”  She paused.  How could she say this without sounding vain?  “It’s the...the scars.  Do they look okay?  I know you can only see the ones on my face and neck but I feel like maybe I should cover them with some foundation or something.  Especially the one across the bridge of my nose: it looks funny, don’t you think?”  Mike let go of her hand and guided her over to their bed and had her sit down.  

 

“Babe, you look absolutely stunning.  The scars look like usual, and everyone knows how conscious you are of them.  No one's gonna say a word, promise.  No need for makeup.”  She stared into his eyes.  “Yeah, but what do they _think_ of them?”  A quiet ‘oh’ is all she heard from Mike.

 

“Who really cares what they think?   _I_ think they make you look even more beautiful, but I guess that could just be a wonderful side effect of loving you.”  He paused, then continued again.  “But if they _do_ have a problem with your scars- any of them, they can take it up with me personally.”  Jess gave Mike a half smile.  He loved her even with all the emotional baggage and physical damage she carried home after that night.  “You’re the best, Michael.  Hope you know that.”  She leaned over to pull him into a hug.  He leaned into it and nodded.  “You’ve said it before once or twice.  But thank you.”  

 

He smelled like his cologne and Jess loved it.  It made her feel safe.  

 

Her spirits lifted, she piped up to break the short silence.  “We should go then, right?  Don’t wanna keep them waiting, we will be the life of the party after all!”  Then Jess pulled out of the hug and tugged Mike off of the bed.  She slipped on her shoes and walked from the room.  She could her Mike scrambling to get his things.  It made her smile.  She grabbed her coat from the coat rack at the door and pulled it on.  

 

She reached out for the door handle, but before she could open it, Michael’s own hand covered hers.  

 

“You’re sure now?  Don’t want you to freak at the party.”  She scoffed and batted his hand away, turning to face him.  “I’m fine _mom_ get off my back.”  She tried to throw venom into her voice but a laugh broke through instead.  “Okay.  I just don’t want you to get hurt.”  His features were soft and caring.  She rose on her tiptoes to kiss his cheek, but her intercepted her lips with his own instead.  

 

Classic Mike.  

 

Against her lips he murmured, “I _can’t_ let you get hurt. _Not again_ …” He pulled back, and she could see the glaze of sadness in his eyes.  She smiled at him and opened the door, shifting to let him out.  “I know.  I love you.”  Mike walked out, and she followed.  He stopped and turned back to her, a smile gracing his face一all teeth.  “Love you too.”

 

Ah, the holiday season.  Possibly Jessica’s favorite time of the year.

**Author's Note:**

> Happy holidays to everyone!!! You guys keep me writing. (And sane, haha!)
> 
> <3


End file.
